Masonry viaduct construction.



R. E. NEWTON.

MASONRY vmnuo'r consmnomu.

APPLIOATION FILED MAY 26, 1909.

1 1 1 7,428. Patented Nov. 17, 1914.

WITNESSES: INVENTOR THE NORRIS PETERS C0,, PHOTU-LITHQ WASHINGHJN D Cv STATES RALPH E. NEWTON, 0F MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN.

MASONRY VIADUCT CONSTRUCTION.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented N ov..17 1914.

Application filed May 25, 1909. Serial No. 498,204.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RALPH E. NEWTON, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State of Wisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Masonry Viaduct Constructions; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to a means for and method of constructing viaducts, arches, bridges and the like, of masonry.

One object is the saving in false work effected by permitting it to be used in constructing several arches of the same viaduct or bridge.

Another object isthe provision of means for temporarily supporting the arches as they are constructed, until the entire structure is completed, to prevent the shifting of the arches.

In building arched viaducts and the like of masonry, one of the large items of expense is for the centering or false work to support the spans during construction. Two adjoining arch spans largely balance the horizontal components of each others thrusts, so that the intermediate pier need be strong enough to sustain only the vertical components of these thrusts. In other words, the intermediate pier need sustain only its proportionate share of the weight of the structure and of the weights imposed upon thestructure. It is, therefore, not requisite or customary to have intermediate piers suiiiciently massive to sustain an arch thrust on only one side, such as would occur if a completed arch span abutting one side of a pier were left unsupported prior to the completion of the arch span abutting the opposite side of the pier. It then a single arch of a viaduct were completed and left unsupported except by the piers at each end, it would exert an overturning force on the piers, causing the arch to collapse. Because of this fact, constructors find it necessary to support the entire viaduct until completed and able to balance the horizontal components of the arch thrusts from end to end of the structure. To support the entire structure during construction, requires a very large amount of centering material and Igonsiderable duplication of supporting meme ers.

To reduce the cost of centering and false work to a minimum, together with the attainment of otheradvantages, I have devised a method of construction of masonry viaducts and the like, all of which will be more fully described hereinafter and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a view illustrating a viaduct under construction, in accordance with my invention, and Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail view of a single arch showing the false work and supporting columns.

A description of themethod employed in building viaducts in accordance with my invention will fully disclose the construction of the several parts.

In proceeding under my invention, the piers A, A, and the abutments B, B, are first erected, following which I first construct the primary supports for one or more portions of each arch span C, C, The primary supports consist preferably of the tower-like frame work 1, 1, erected parallel with the piers and adapted to support the center of the arch spans. 'lliesesu iiports are made of sufficient strength to sustain such proportion of the weight of the completed arches as will rest upon them, the respective piers and abutments supporting the balance of the weight. span, a single primary support, located in the center of the span, is ordinarily sutlicient for each arch, but on arches of longer If the arches are not of too great span it is sometimes desirable to use more,

than one primary support, the different primary supports being suitably spaced. Such primarysupports do not, however, directly sustain all of such weight during the process of constructing the arches upon them.

In order to assist the primary supports in sustaining the weight of the arch or arches under construction I erect in connection,

with said primary support or supports for each such arch, the secondary supports2, 2, and false work 3, 3, bracing the supports and retaining the sectional centering 41, 4 in place. Ordinarily, but not necessarily, the

secondary supports will be of somewhat primary sup-; ports. I now proceed with the actual construction or laying of the first arch or arches,

lighter construction than the and as soon as an arch has attained a sullicient set or has seasoned sufliciently to sustain itself on the primary supports and piers, I

remove from under that arch the secondary supports 2, 2, the false work 3, 3, and all of that portion of the centering 4 not supported on the primary support 1, leaving'the primary support or supports in place to rigidly support the arch, and reerect the false work, secondary supports and centering in connection with another primary support or set of supports 1 for an arch still to be built, proceeding in this manner until the entire viaduct structure is completed and seasoned, whereupon I remove the primary supports from beneath all the arches, leaving the completed arches resting upon and supported by the permanent piers and abutments.

From the foregoing it will be seen that after erecting the permanent piers and abutments, I proceed to construct the arches successively, first supporting the arch by means of primary and secondary supports an false work and then, when the arch is sufficiently seasoned, removing the secondary supports and false work to leave the arch supported upon its primary support or supports and the piers, until the entire viaduct is completed, after which all primary supports are removed. In this manner 1 effect a great saving in false work and centering and am enabled to proceed with the construction in a rapid and workmanlike manner.

Having thus fullydisclosed my invention, what I claim as new, is

1. The method of building masonry structures consisting of a series of arches, comprising erecting piers and abutments on which the arches are to be supported per manently and constructing centering for an arch of the series, then laying such arch on such centering longitudinally from one of its permanent supports to the other, then allowing such arch to harden, then remov ing transverse sections of the centering but leaving another transverse section thereof standing to support the arch, then building other arches, and then removing the remainder of the centering from the first arch.

2. The method of building masonry structures consisting of a series of arches, comprising erecting piers and abutments on which the arches are to be supported permanently and constructing centering for an varch of the series in three or more trans-- verse sections, then laying such arch on such centering longitudinally from one of its permanent supports t0 the other, then allowing such arch to harden, then removing transverse sections of the centering but leaving a central transverse section thereof standing to support the arch, then building other arches, and then removing the remainder of the centering from the first arch.

3. The method of building masonry structures consisting of a series of arches, comprising erecting the piers or the pier and abutment on which an arch is to be supported permanently and constructing centering for said arch in three or more transverse sections, of'which the central one is selfsupporting, and interbracing said sections, then laying an arch on said centering longitudinally from one of its permanent supports to the other and allowing it to harden, then ren'ioving some of the sections of said centering and the interbracing but leaving standing the central one thereof to support the arch, then building succeeding arches, and then removing the remainder of the centering from the first arch.

4. The method of building masonry structures consisting of a series of arches, comprising erecting the piers or the pier and abutment on which an arch is tobe supported permanently and constructing centering for said arch in transverse sections, of which one is self-supporting, and interbracing said sections, then laying an arch on. said centering longitudinally from one of its permanent supports to the other and allowing it to harden, then removing some of the sections of said centering and the interbracing but leaving standing a selfsupporting one thereof to support the arch, then building succeeding arches, and then removing the remainder of the centering from the first arch.

5. The method of building masonry structures consisting of a series of arches, comprising erecting the piers or the pier and abutment on which an arch is to be supported permanently and constructing centering for said arch in three or more trans verse sections, of which the central one is self-supporting, then laying an arch on said centering longitudinally from one of its permanent supports to the other and allowing it to harden, then removing some of the sections of said centering but leaving standing the central one thereof to support the arch, then building succeeding arches, and then removing the remainder of the centering from the first arch.

6. The method of building masonry structures consisting of a series of arches, comprising erecting the piers or the pier and abutment on which an arch is to be supported permanently and constructing centering for said arch in transverse sections, of which one is self-supporting, then laying an arch on said centering longitudinally from one of its permanent supports to the other and allowing it to harden, then removing some of the sections of said centering but leaving standing a self supporting one thereof to support the arch, then building succeeding arches, and then removing the remainder of the centering from the first arch.

7 The method of building masonry structures consisting of a series of arches, comprising erecting the piers or the pier and abutment on which an arch is to be supported permanently and constructing centering for said arch in three or more transverse sections, said sections comprising one or more primary and two or more secondary sections and the central section be inga primary section, said primary section or sections being of sutlicient strength so that independently of the secondary sections it or they can relieve the piers or the pier and abutment of the thrust of the completed arch, then laying an arch on such centering longitudinally from one of its permanent supports to the other and allowing it to harden, then removing the secondary sections of the centering but leaving standing the primary section or sections, then building succeeding arches, and then removing the primary sections of the centering from the first arch.

S. The method of building masonry structures consisting of a series of arches, comprising erecting the piers or pier and abutment on which an arch is to be supported permanently and constructing centering for said arch in three or more transverse sections, said sections comprising one or more primary and two or more secondary sections, said primary section or sections being of suflicient strength so that independently of the secondary sections it or they can relieve the piers or the pier and abutment of the thrust of the completed arch, then laying an arch on said centering longitudinally from one of its permanent supports to the other and allowing it to harden, then removing the secondary sections of the centering but leaving standing the primary section or sections, then building succeeding arches, and then removing the primary sections of the centering from the first arch.

9. The method of building masonry structures, consisting of a series of arches, coi'nprising erecting the piers or the pier and abutment on which an arch is to be supported permanently and constructing centering for said arch in three or more transverse sections, said sections comprising one or more primary and two or more secondary sections and the central section being a primary section, said primary section or sections being of suflicient strength so that independently of the secondary sections it or they can relieve the piers or the pier and abutment ot' the thrust of the completed arch, then laying an arch on such centering longitudinally from one of its permanent supports to the other and allowing it to harden, then removingthe secondary sections of the centering but leaving standino the primary section or sections, then building succeeding arches in the same way on centering composed of the same secondary sections and other primary sections, and removing the primary section or sections of the centering from the first arch after the hardening of one or more succeeding arches.

10. The method of building masonry structures, consisting of a series of arches, comprising erectin the piers or pier and abutment on whici an arch is to be sup ported pernn'tnently and constructing centering for said arch in three or more transverse sections, said sections comprising one or more primary and two or more secondary sections, said primary section or sections being of suflicicnt strength so that independently of the secondary sections it or they can relieve the piers or the pier and abutment of the thrust of the completed arch, then laying an arch on said centering longitudinally from one of its permanent supports to the other and allowing it to harden, then removing the secondary sections of the centering but leaving standing the primary section or sections, then building succeeding arches in the same way on centering composed of the same secondary sections and other primary sections, and removing the primary section or sections of the centering from the first arch after the hardening of one or more succeeding arches.

In testimony whereof, I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

RALPH E. NEWTON.

Witnesses:

ALFRED L. NEWTON, ALFRED KLINGELHOEFER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of latents,

Washington, D. C. 

